We are thrilled to share that the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted unanimously today in favor of our driver's education improvement bill, HB 4198.

The legislation, introduced by Representative Julie Alexander, would require at least one hour of driver's education classroom instruction to include laws pertaining to bicycles, motorcycles, and other vulnerable roadway users, including pedestrians. The bill would further require driver's education instruction to incorporate bicycles, motorcycles, and other vulnerable roadway users into other subject areas of the driver's education curriculum.

The bill was put to a vote after a workgroup on bicycle safety, formed by Committee Chairman Representative Triston Cole in late 2017, recommended an amendment that addresses which segments of the driver's education curriculum instruction beyond the one hour minimum should be incorporated into.

Thank you to everyone who took action in support of this legislation! We are one step closer to signing this bill into law because of you. We have more work to do, please continue to be involved as the legislative process moves on.

The House Committee on Infrastructure and Transportation also heard testimony on other bicycle safety bills, HB 4185 and 4265, at previous hearings. These bills would codify 5 feet as the minimum distance a motorist must give a bicyclist as they pass them on the roadway. The bills were reviewed by the Committee's bicycle workgroup, but the Committee has not put the bills to a vote pending further discussion. We will post updates on this matter as soon as we can.

For the first time ever, LMB helped to foster the growth of bicycling initiatives around the state with the launch of a Micro-Grant Program. The response to the program was overwhelming. This year, LMB was able to narrow down the applicants to ten amazing organizations with unique programs that promote bicycling or bicycling safety in their area. We are pleased to share their stories and how our Micro-Grant funds are helping them further their own missions, moving us all toward a more bicycle friendly state.

One of our Micro Grant recipients is Boston Square Community Bikes, a Grand Rapids organization that promotes sustainable, affordable transportation by refurbishing donated bicycles for sale, helping neighbors and others learn about bikes and bike repair, and providing space for anyone to work on their own bikes. Their Micro-Grant was awarded to support their youth Mechanical Apprenticeship Project (MAP). Thank you to Tom Bulten from Oakdale Neighbors of Grand Rapids, MI for telling their story.

“Bringing a battered bicycle back to life takes creative thinking and perseverance. These are the important life skills being learned by young apprentices at Boston Square Community Bikes. Myles Moylen and Philemon Tumusimu have spent two months in the Youth Mechanical Apprenticeship Program learning basic bicycle repair skills and valuable life lessons. Both Myles and Philemon live in the neighborhood. Myles rode his bike to the apprenticeship every Thursday afternoon. Philemon simply walked across the street. With the staff of Boston Square Community Bikes they worked on resurrecting a beat-up, blue Magna “Great Divide” bicycle that had been donated to the program.

Boston Square Community Bikes performs life support on many lower-end, "department store" bikes. These can serve as affordable transportation for those that need to get to work or other places. Yesterday, Mitchell called Boston Square Community Bikes desperate to find a bike to get him to work. He had only $30 and would be fired from his job if he didn’t arrive at work by 4 PM. He left the shop with a bike refurbished by program volunteers and staff.

In July, Philemon was joined by Moise Tuyambaze and Yasir Ishimwe in the apprenticeship program. All three young men are refugees from Rwanda. As they work on bikes with us they will be thinking about their futures—first as they start high school, then beyond. For yesterday’s lesson, they wrote down their dreams for job, education, hobbies, and friends. A “Point and Name” game helped them learn the anatomy of a bike—the names of key components and parts. Next week, they’ll learn the names of bike tools and begin “wrenching” on donated bikes.”

For the first time ever, LMB helped to foster the growth of bicycling initiatives around the state with the launch of a Micro-Grant Program. The response to the program was overwhelming. This year, LMB was able to narrow down the applicants to ten amazing organizations with unique programs that promote bicycling or bicycling safety in their area. We are pleased to share their stories and how our Micro-Grant funds are helping them further their own missions, moving us all toward a more bicycle friendly state.

One of our Micro-Grant recipients is Pedal Holland, a program devoted to bringing true livability to the city of Holland, Michigan. Their Micro-Grant was awarded to support their 8th Street pop-up bike lane. Thank you to Meika Weiss from Pedal Holland for telling their story.

"From August 21 through September 1, 8th Street was transformed into a friendlier place for people traveling on two wheels. The segment of 8th Street transformed by the project is the only viable path between the core city of Holland and outlying areas in Holland Heights and the City of Zeeland. The existing street has two lanes of fast-moving vehicle traffic traveling in each direction.

The pop-up bike lane exchanged one vehicle travel lane in each direction for a five-foot bike lane. It was buffered from the traffic with cones and included a center turn lane. We also added sharrows (share-lane markings) on either end of the project to link these lanes to the existing bike network. This was done inexpensively with stencils, spray chalk, tape, and cones.

The 8th Street pop-up bike lane succeeded because of relationships developed over the years between the MACC (Macatawa Area Coordinating Council), the City of Holland, the Ottawa County Road Commission, local bike shops, and the Ottawa County Health Department. Volunteers from each of these organizations recruited, set up, and tore down after this event.

We learned that planning a project of this magnitude is time-consuming. We hadn’t anticipated how many times we would have to get approval from different governmental agencies, and how much time we would spend waiting to appear on the next month’s meeting agenda. Our dates were delayed several times.The challenge that nearly delayed the project into next year was when we discovered that the specific road tape required by the Ottawa County Road Commission was over twice the price budgeted using a different type of tape. It was the right choice – we learned that the original choice of tape would not have held up under the conditions on the road – but this increased the project budget by many thousands of dollars. The League of Michigan Bicyclists was instrumental in bringing this project back in reach.

This project successfully proved that this difficult segment of road could see a reallocation of roadway from vehicular traffic to bicycles. Feared back-ups didn’t materialize and bicyclists appreciated the separation from motor traffic. The project was received well by the community with little complaint. It advanced our argument that making space for bikes makes sense for everyone and we expect it to bear fruit in our community in the years to come."

Contact House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Members Today!Legislation to enact a statewide 5-foot passing law continues to be discussed in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. A specified distance (5-feet) could be stripped out of the legislation (or worse). Please email the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members and urge them to enact the strongest safe passing law by keeping a specified distance in the bill. After signing, be sure to share this action with your friends and loved ones.

We only have a short window to make an impact, please be sure take action today! Background info and the latest update as of 1/16/18 is below.

UPDATE (1/16/18)

At a hearing in front of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the workgroup on bicycle safety did recommend removing a specific distance from the legislation in favor of more general language. However, members of the workgroup, as well as other members of the Committee, did acknowledge the bicycle community's firm stance on keeping a specified distance and publically vocalized their support for doing so. The Committee did not put the matter to a vote. We are optimistic that the door is open to continued discussion and to keep a specific distance in the bill.

Possible language reported to LMB earlier in the week that would have stripped protections for bicyclists was not discussed at today's hearing. We are cautiously optimistic that the "worst case scenario" version of the bill is off the table at this point.

Finally, we are happy to report that the workgroup was able to work out concerns regarding the House version of our driver's ed improvement bill, HB 4198, with the Secretary of State's Office. We expect to see this bill advance soon.

In summary, though we don't know what a final version of the bill will look like, your efforts the past few days held the line and avoided the worst for now. In just a few days, we had thousands of emails and hundreds of phone calls flood the offices of Chairman Cole and the Committee members. Though the process of passing legislation can take a long time, if we continue to show a strong unified voice we will see these bills continue to move forward until they are signed into law.

Thank you, once again, to everyone who took action to help save our 5-foot passing bill. You are making an impact!

BACKGROUND: In November 2017 the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard testimony on HB 4265, legislation to enact a statewide 5-foot passing law. After hearing powerful testimony from advocates, victims, and organizational partners, Chairman Triston Cole announced that he was forming a five-member legislative workgroup to discuss the bills in more detail. LMB was invited to participate in the workgroup and prepared recommendations on behalf of the bicycling community to add to the discussion when the workgroup met in December.

Despite clear support from the bill sponsors, LMB, and others to keep a defined distance within the legislation, the workgroup is likely to recommend the elimination of "five feet" as the defined safe distance as outlined in the original legislation and instead endorse general language that states drivers "shall pass at a safe distance to the left of that bicycle at a safe speed..."

Additionally, the workgroup concluded business after two meetings, before discussing numerous suggestions offered by LMB to improve the legislation.

LMB heard conflicting possibilities of what revised safe passing legislation could look like ahead of the presentation of the workgroup's recommendations during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing on Tuesday, January 16. Reports on what the final workgroup recommendation will be ranged from altering our 5-foot legislation to make it 3-feet, to stripping the bill entirely of a specified distance, to alarming discussions that could attempt to strip bicyclists of existing protections and poison the legislation entirely. For this reason, we launched a phone and email action urging Chairman Cole to continue the dialog on a safe passing bill that provides a specific distance and fully considers opportunities to strengthen the bill.

“I’m worried about working on passing good policy. Good policy always comes first,” stated Chairman Cole in an interview with Guy Gordon on WJR on 1-3-18, LMB does not believe that eliminating a specific distance from the bill is not good policy.

In 2016, 38 cyclists were killed on Michigan roads and another 2,000 were injured. This was nearly double over the previous year. 2017 proved to be yet another tragic year for Michigan cyclists. Michigan is only one of eleven states without a law on how to safely pass bicyclists. Currently, 30 states have safe passing laws with specified distances, while only nine have general safe passing language. Instead of following the lead of these nine states who opted for generic passing laws, Michigan is in a unique position to become a national leader on this important public safety issue and ultimately prevent more needless tragedies on Michigan roadways. We are asking Chairman Cole for his continued consideration and leadership on this issue to ensure Michigan enacts the strongest safe passing law possible.

Year after year, participants from all over the country and beyond ride LMB tours to enjoy Michigan's magnificent natural landscape, explore unique local communities, visit historic Great Lakes lighthouses, and so much more. Whether it's a weekend getaway or a week-long adventure, our fully-supported excursions show that bicycle touring is a safe, healthy, and rewarding adventure for riders of every age.

We lead four different bicycle tours annually, allowing riders to choose from a range of distances, terrains, activities and group sizes. With such a variety of options, you can be certain there's an LMB tour to suit your interests and riding style.

LMB Tours are not only a wonderful, fun, and challenging way to explore the most beautiful regions of Michigan by bicycle but also support LMB efforts to make Michigan more bicycle friendly. Proceeds from LMB Tours also help fund our Micro-Grant Program, which supports local bicycling initiatives all over the state.

Click the links below to learn more about our LMB Tours or to register.

Momentum! As we close the year, LMB is busier than ever fighting to improve bicycle safety, safeguarding against attempts to raid non-motorized funding, educating law enforcement, and defending the rights of Michigan cyclists.

2017 has been an exciting year full of positive changes at LMB. We advanced more legislative initiatives in the past year than ever before. This includes bills to enact a 5-foot passing law, include more time devoted to bicycle safety and awareness in drivers ed, expand our state's texting while driving law, and stop senseless tickets to bicyclists simply for having bike racks on their vehicles.

With a year-end gift, you will help us keep the momentum up in 2018 and continue to fight to make Michigan more bicycle-friendly. We hope you will consider making an even bigger impact by contributing to our Annual Campaign and sharing your support of LMB with a cycling a friend.

The Conference's planning committee is hard at work putting together a robust agenda of guest speakers and workshops currently aimed at addressing a diverse group of topics, each related to promoting a safer bicycling culture and experience in Michigan. The planning committee is accepting proposals for session topics from the bicycling community and beyond now through Friday, January 12, 2018.

Information about the Michigan Bicycle Conference can be found on the official conference webpage: www.LMB.org/rollingforward. Further conference information, including registration details, will be available in early 2018, please check back for updates!

For the first time ever, LMB helped to foster the growth of bicycling initiatives around the state with the launch of a Micro-Grant Program. The response to the program was overwhelming. This year, LMB was able to narrow down the applicants to ten amazing organizations with unique programs that promote bicycling or bicycling safety in their area. We are pleased to share their stories and how our Micro-Grant funds are helping them further their own missions, moving us all toward a more bicycle friendly state.

One of our Micro-Grant recipients is Recycle-A-Bicycle, a Traverse City program that restores bicycles and then redistributes them to area individuals who use this as their main source of transportation. In addition, they distribute refurbished bikes to area shelters for use as “house bicycles,” which clients use as a source of recreation and transportation. Their Micro-Grant was awarded to support their mission and services. Thank you to James Marinelli from TART Trails of Traverse City, MI for telling their story.

“For the past decade, Recycle-A-Bicycle(R-A-B) has provided over 1,500 bicycles to community members. Our program’s yearly goal of providing at least 150 bicycles and 50 free repairs has proven to be a very attainable one; since only April of this year, we have supplied nearly 80 free bicycles, and have provided around 25 free repairs, to area residents. These repairs include mending flat tires, replacing tubes, truing and replacing bent wheels, shifters or brakes, replacing front and rear derailleurs, and providing full tune-ups with new bearings. The average cost for free walk-in repairs is under $45, and our labor is always done on a volunteer basis. Of course, if a client wants to help with repairs, or if a client wants to learn how to repair and maintain his or her bicycle, our volunteers will assist them as needed.

Maintaining such a busy operation takes both generous, monetary funding and a well-trained volunteer presence, so to that end, we have recently employed an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer to assist in our outreach and fundraising efforts. Our VISTA has been seeking adequate funds, informing local client referral agencies (including Goodwill, Addiction Treatment Services, as well as private and public schools for at-risk children), and recruiting and mentoring volunteers.

Through its work in refurbishing and redistributing donated bicycles to those in need, the Recycle-A-Bicycle program has enriched the lives of countless residents of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Because of this program, now in its eleventh year, at-risk area citizens now have the gift of transportation, recreation, and most importantly, the gift of independence.”

For the first time ever, LMB helped to foster the growth of bicycling initiatives around the state with the launch of a Micro-Grant Program. The response to the program was overwhelming. This year, LMB was able to narrow down the applicants to ten amazing organizations with unique programs that promote bicycling or bicycling safety in their area. We are pleased to share their stories and how our Micro-Grant funds are helping them further their own missions, moving us all toward a more bicycle friendly state.

One of our Micro-Grant recipients is the Lansing Bike Co-op, a Lansing-based organization that empowers our community through education and access. The Lansing Bike Co-op received the Micro-grant fund to host two courses with a special emphasis on serving the low-income community. Thank you to Jeff Potter for telling their story.

"We put the word out for a month with posters and social media. Then in July we offered a 4-session course in Basic Bike Repair. We served a full capacity of 12 students, 6 of whom took advantage of the low-income scholarship option that was available thanks to the LMB. Students ranged in age from 20's to 50’s and genders were split about 50/50.

We took a month off for recruiting before the September course and all 18 sessions were fully booked, on behalf of the LMB scholarship.

Our format is designed to make the most of our small shop space. Each student selects whether they want to attend the weekly evening classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays. This fits well around school or work. A “small bites” approach also helps with student retention, since it’s only once a week. Each of the five instructors only teach one topic, making the course very manageable for the Co-op to offer. Several assistants also help during the hands-on portion of each session.

Each session starts with an hour of instructor demonstration where students see the subject being worked through in front of them. The next hour is hands-on, where each student works on their own bike or a shop bike.

The hands-on experience is another aspect that the LMB Micro-Grant made possible: We used a portion of the funds to purchase several work-stands with tool-sets so each student could work on a bike. Previously, not every student got the chance to actually practice all the skills being taught.

'I found the class to be fun, informative, and incredibly empowering. It isn't every day you get to learn to independently repair your own bicycle. This class was amazing!' --Mackenzie M.

After taking this course, a person has a foundation for understanding each part of their bike and has demonstrated how to take care for, adjust, or replace parts -- putting them on the path to bicycle independence! They can now take care of a bike on their own and save time and money. They should also be better able to understand their interactions with retail bike shops."

On October 29, 2017, Governor Snyder signed LMB's e-bike legislation into law!

This legislation, HB 4781, 4782, and 4783, amends the Michigan Vehicle Code (MVC) to clarify the definition of e-bikes and outlines where e-bikes can be ridden legally on Michigan roadways and trails.

E-bike use has grown rapidly in Michigan creating an urgent need to clarify the classifications and regulations surrounding them. Prior to our legislation, the MVC lacked a definition regarding e-bikes, creating confusion for law enforcement over license and operation requirements, as well as for e-bike users, manufacturers, retailers, trail users, and land use managers.

For the first time ever, LMB helped to foster the growth of bicycling initiatives around the state with the launch of a Micro-Grant Program. The response to the program was overwhelming. This year, LMB was able to narrow down the applicants to ten amazing organizations with unique programs that promote bicycling or bicycling safety in their area. We are pleased to share their stories and how our Micro-Grant funds are helping them further their own missions, moving us all toward a more bicycle friendly state.

One of our Micro-Grant recipients is Norte!, a Traverse City-based organization. Norte! received a Micro-Grant fund to help purchase a utility trailer and balance bikes for their Estrellas youth balance bike program. Norte has notified us that both are in the works and moving forward! Thank you to Ty Schmidt from Norte for telling their story.

“The utility trailer’s function is two-fold. It has been a life saver as we try to make the best use of limited space. We purchased the used trailer from a Norte! supporter. It quickly filled up with stuff, lots of stuff, mostly balance bikes. A volunteer extraordinaire designed an innovative method to hang bikes using cables and crampons for easy access.

The trailer will also be used to transport balance bikes during the winter and spring as Norte! teaches preschool students the basics of balance and coasting. We are continuing to grow this program to include outlying schools in the area. Last year we engaged 240 students in this program. Classes have been taught at the Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS), and we plan to expand to other districts, public and private.

We have also purchased 10 additional balance bikes and have them available to borrow at our weekly summer Estrella meet-ups at the Clubhouse. Families who come enjoy the ease, it is fun and free and attracts many. Volunteers have stepped up and are running this program; greeting families, helping orient kids, making sure those that need helmets and bikes have them available to borrow. We encourage families to come, ride, play and picnic afterward.”

In addition to learning those critical first skills of riding, families are spending quality time together. Priceless!